Tuesday, March 1

Buhari says Nigeria do not need to import food at all

President Buhari has said that Nigeria has the capacity not to be importing food from other countries. According to a statement released yesterday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari said this on Sunday February 28 at a meeting with some senior executives of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and some private businessmen in Doha, Qatar.

Buhari said, “Agriculture and solid minerals will mobilise youths for gainful employment. We have the capacity not to need to import food at all. But we need to also tackle infrastructure deficit in power, transportation, rail, road and in other areas.”

The president recalled that his campaign was based on three issues, which are security, employment generation and anti-corruption, contending that he was keeping faith with the promises.

He assured the business community in Qatar that his government would work hard to remove any impediment that could hinder investment in the country, adding that security was essential to prosperity and development. He said,

“Nobody invests without first knowing how secure a country is. That is why we have placed high premium on securing the country, because you cannot effectively manage a country you have not secured.
“We campaigned on zero corruption, promising that we would run an accountable government and we are keeping our promises.”

On the crash in the international crude oil prices and its effect on the Nigerian economy, Buhari informed the gathering that Nigeria was blessed with vast arable land for agriculture, and rich deposit of solid minerals, which the businessmen could invest in and reap rich returns in a short time.

Speaking on behalf of the Qatari businessmen, the Vice Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muhammed Al Kuwari, said they would be interested in the finance, oil and gas, telecommunications, tourism, agriculture and food processing sectors, among others.